Photo courtesy Kymberly Stoddard
The Upper Valley Bridal Fair will take place March 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prospective brides and grooms and their families are invited to attend.

Upper Valley Bridal Fair coming to Rexburg

by Megan Ransom RAN04008@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Planning a wedding is usually not a relaxing experience. With hundreds of decisions to be made, taking time to concentrate on school and work can be difficult enough — not to mention finding time to spend with that special someone.

To help future brides and families cope with this stressful time, Kymberly Stoddard, an experienced wedding decorator and owner of Elegance Settings (a local Rexburg business), created the Upper Valley Bridal Fair. Stoddard recognized the need for some type of coordinated effort for those making wedding plans and seized the opportunity.

“After looking at the other bridal shows in the area, I found I wasn’t happy with what was being offered. It was actually my dad’s idea for [my husband and I] to create our own bridal fair. We then looked at demographics and businesses in the Rexburg area and came to the conclusion that if we created a bridal fair that students and area residents would both benefit.”

From florists to travel planning, Stoddard emphasizes that this fair is a dream for any future bride and groom.

“There is no pressure for the bride to buy anything. The focus, instead, is on getting the brides excited about their big day and to teach them different things they can do with different size budgets,” Stoddard said.

The fair will be held at Madison Middle School on Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free.

“We wanted to invite everyone to come and participate,” Stoddard said. “When we say everyone, we mean brides, grooms, mothers or any other family members involved in making plans.”

Stoddard strongly encourages grooms to attend as well. It is an opportunity for them to look at jewelry, flowers and photography options thus helping them to become more involved in the wedding planning process.

Door prizes and contests will be happening all day. Winners will receive discounts on cake décor, florists, photography, catering, formal wear and travel. Jensen’s Jewelers is even offering a groom’s ring as a prize.

“We’re excited about this and we invite people who are engaged or looking to be engaged in the future [to come],” Stoddard said.

The popularity of the fair last year was so large that they had to turn down businesses. As a result, this year the fair has expanded. With a bigger location and more booths, the fair is anticipated to be an even bigger success than last year.

Businesses interested in setting up a booth or those who have questions about the Upper Valley Bridal Fair can contact Kymberly Stoddard at 757-0663.